The Philadelphia Phillies did what fans have been wanting for a long time now. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and the organization went in for Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline, acquiring a lockdown closer the Phillies can entrust to be the regular closer.
With an electric entrance, Duran has already made his mark, with two saves in the series win over the Detroit Tigers. His first save was completed in just four pitches before ending Sunday’s game with a 103 mph pitch. Duran could not have started his Phillies tenure any better.
This was a major move for a team that has gone matchup-based with closers for the majority of the tenure of manager Rob Thomson. On top of adding one of, if not the best, arms available at the deadline, it allows the rest of the bullpen to slide into place and find a rhythm in more suitable roles. Duran is the easy choice at closer as he has a 1.94 ERA on the season.
With each pitcher finding a new role, where do they rank on the Phillies' bullpen depth chart for the rest of the season?
Updated Phillies bullpen depth chart with the addition of Jhoan Duran
Role | Player |
|---|---|
Closer | Jhoan Duran RHP |
Setup | Matt Strahm LHP |
Setup | Orion Kerkering RHP |
Middle Relief | Tanner Banks LHP |
Middle Relief | Max Lazar RHP |
Middle Relief | Jordan Romano RHP |
Long Man | Alan Rangel RHP |
Long Man | Joe Ross RHP |
This is the expected usage for the Phillies' relievers after the deadline. Thomson has said Duran is the closer. Orion Kerkering has been a big pitcher for the Phillies this season with a sub-3.00 ERA, and has filled a major role in the wake of Jordan Romano's struggles and the absence of José Alvarado.
The Phillies have a few options as well for the postseason, as things will change. In the coming days, David Robertson is expected to be called up from Triple-A and could see big situations. On top of that, Aaron Nola has made two rehab starts and will push Taijuan Walker to the bullpen when he returns.
From the left-handed side, Matt Strahm has had an up-and-down season for the Phillies, and the team will look to get more consistency heading into the playoffs. Tanner Banks has been much improved this season since the trade a year ago.
The new roles show how it has allowed some of these players to settle into a more comfortable spot. After struggling much of the season, the Phillies' bullpen has a 2.45 ERA and an MLB-best .125 batting average against since the trade for Duran.
While the closer spot is locked down now, it will be interesting to see how the Phillies manage the bullpen with players returning and getting Alvarado back for the stretch run but not the postseason.